A fire at an Eastern Washington potato plant prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders due to ammonia explosion concerns.
An evacuation notice was issued over fears of ammonia explosion
On Thursday night, a potato factory in Washington burnt, resulting in a Level 3 evacuation order due to the ammonia explosion risk. All residents living west Road U-SE and south of Highway 170 in Warden, Washington, received a notice from the Grant County Sheriff's Office before 9 PM PT. The fire threatened people with an ammonia tank inside the Washington Potato Company.
The sheriff's department said in the alert the level 3 notice indicates that residents should leave the area without any delay. "Law enforcement officers will go door-to-door to notify persons in the Level 3 area," it added.
Fire suppression continues as hazmat incident has been deemed safe enough to continue defensive operation pic.twitter.com/UDXmqQgt7B
— Moses Lake Firefighters L1258 (@MosesLakeFFs) January 22, 2021
Emergency responders might not help those who decided to stay, the sheriff's department explained. The door-to-door evacuation warnings were completed by 11 PM PT, as per the KREM-TV reporter in Spokane.
Grant. Co. PIO says fire will continue burning to hope the ammonia tank would not explode. The fire was reported to start in a dehydration unit at the Washington Potato Company building and is expected to be a 'total loss.'
According to Fox News, no injuries were immediately reported, and Warden, Washington is approximately 100 miles southwest of Spokane.
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Evacuation order lifted after Washington residents were told to flee
Early Friday, officials lifted the order for residents to flee out of Washington State town due to a potential ammonia explosion. According to the Grant County Sheriff's Office, local police and fire agencies responded to the Washington Potato Company in Warden.
There was a "risk of ammonia tank explosion," as per the sheriff's office. Residents were given all-clear signals early Friday morning in a tweet.
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CNN reported that the population in the town is nearly 2,800 based on a recent Census Bureau estimation. At this time, it remains unclear the exact number of residents being ordered to evacuate.
The message says law enforcement officers will notify people door-to-door in the Level 3 area. According to Grant County Sheriff's Twitter post, the Red Cross could help those displaced by the #WardenFire.
The Washington Potato Company is owned by Oregon Potato Co., famous for "premium quality dehydrated and dehydrofrozen potato products distributed domestically and worldwide.
About 12:45 AM PT; residents were able to return, Foreman claims. According to Q13Fox, firefighters will remain until Friday on the scene to manage hot spots and identify the cause of the incident. The potato plant is a significant employer for the small town of Warden, which only has 2,8000 residents.
"Fortunately, no one was hurt. It was certainly potential because of all the hazards associated with the plant," Foreman said.
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